The Flame
by MatchesMassa
Summary: Ash Ketchum has been acting differently lately. He's been...THINKING? Can he express himself to those he cares about most? Or is this fic destined to be another angsty love story that takes forever to be resolved do to a long convoluted plot? Well, it's a oneshot, so you do the math.


The Flame

By MatchesMassa

Disclaimer: Oo herro I Satoshi I own pocketmans. Lol jk I'm a hobo I own nothing except for a rod with a sack at the end of it as I ride trains across the country.

Overview: So, I haven't written fanfiction for ANY fandom since I was like, 12 writing Pokeshipping fics. So please forgive me if this is not the best ever.

A certain black-haired Pokemon Trainer sat on a log at his boy's name was Ash. He poked a fire he made in the middle of the camp with a stick, keeping it alive for as long as he could. He sat, slumped over, looking into the fire with a deep focus. Small red and yellow ribbons of ember traveled upwards and disappeared in the cool mid-afternoon air. There had been no reason for the fire to be started, but the boy's friends had gone off to do their own thing for a while. He found that in boredom, stoking a fire passed the time.

Behind him, a little yellow mouse with rosy red cheeks had awoken from a nap and exited one of the two tents. As he skittered out, he glanced at his Master in a rare state of deep thought. Deep Thought. Two words not usually used to describe the actions of Ash Ketchum. He quickly scampered over to his master.

"Pika-pi?" Squeaked the mouse with concern, as he tugged at the collar of his master's coat. Ash kept his gaze on the fire. "Piiiikaaaa..." Ash seemed to perk up and tore his gaze from the fire finally. He looked over at his pet/friend with a smile.

"Hah! Sorry buddy. I was just kind of zoned I guess." Pikachu scratched one of his long ears. The mouse then turned his head as he noticed another figure approaching. Ash followed suit.

"Yo, Brocko!" Ash called out. A tall, dark, squinty-eyed figure entered the campsite, holding a stack of logs in one arm, and multiple pouches of berries in the other. "Got some good stuff?"

"Hey Ash," Replied the young Gym Leader, "Yeah, got some Oran Berries and more logs for the fire. Why'd you start one anyways?"

"I don't know man," Ash said, looking into the burning embers again. "It's relaxing I guess. I'm just trying to clear my head." Brock raised a brow in confusion, but kept his eyes closed as per usual. He walked over to the log Ash was sitting on and sat next to him.

"Hey, bro," Brock asked, fulfilling his Caring Big Brother/team Mom role, "What's wrong? You've been kind of off the past few days."

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked, not noticing his out of Character behavior.

"Well..." Brock clutched his chin in his hands as he started to think. "You've been really quiet during walks lately. Like, no yelling at Misty, even when she yells at you. You've even been lagging behind a bit, instead of leading the way as usual." Brock shrugged, "Among other things." Ash sighed. he had this weight on his shoulders, and if he wanted it off he might as well talk to someone. Brock was his most trusted and close friend, next to Misty. Better than most.

"I..." Ash paused. "Ugh!" He clasped his face in his hands. "Come on Ashy boy, it's no big deal..." He mumbled to himself in a mantra. "Okay."

"Out with it, man!" Brock said with a reassuring smile.

"Alright, alright!" Ash sighed and mentally prepared himself. "I've got a little bit of a crush on Misty." For a minute, it almost looked like Brock was about to open his eyes. His expression was shock nonetheless. Ash blushed and looked back at the fire. "...And I don't know what to do about it." Brock stayed silent for a moment. Deep down, he always knew, but it was still a shock to see this side of Ash. The boy who never even seemed to _notice_ girls, even when he was obviously being admired by several over the course of their travels. Of course, Ash had been young when they first met, and he was now entering his teens. Of course he'd be having these feelings. Ash frowned. "Well? Are you gonna speak or should I have this conversation with Pikachu?" Pikachu, who had taken to resting in his master's lap, had ignored the comment. Brock's face changed to a calm smile.

"Why Misty?" The older teen asked, nudging his friend with his elbow. "I mean, she's cute and all, but you guys are always fighting." Ash shrugged and pursed his lips, looking up to the darkening sky.

"She rocks, dude." He smiled at the thought of the fiery red-head. "She's tough, and determined in everything she does." Brock stayed quiet. "When she freaks out about bugs I think it's so cute, man. Her shrieks are annoying but they're so over the top that it's funny. I never mean to fight with her, but she just gets me so riled up." The gym leader was now grinning from ear to ear. Ash was expressing his feelings surprisingly fluently. "She smells like soap and fresh water, and she always looks so..." Ash leaned back as he thought of the right word. "Hot. Those denim short shorts?" He clapped, "Hoooo boy!" The two boys laughed.

"She does have a nice but. A little flat chested for me. Not like perky Joy, or stacked Jenny." Brock drooled and grew crimson, but Ash hit him in the back of the head, snapping him out of it.

"Don't be a perv man, those girls are a dime a dozen! Literally, there's millions all over the country." Brock shrugged.

"True, I do have a wide selection of chests big and small." Ash chuckled at the gym leader's comment.

"But there's only one Misty... I don't know what to do, it's been tearing me up for a while now." Ash groaned and slumped over again.

"Well..." Brock patted his knees. "Why don't you just tell her? Or ask her out?" Ash jumped up in shock and nearly screamed.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? SHE'LL FLIP OUT!" Ash yelled. He caught himself and quieted down. "I don't even know if she'd say yes or if she likes me back or not."

"So? Ask her!" Brock said bluntly.

"And ruin our friendship? What if I ask her out and she says no?" Ash was started to get more and more nervous. He twiddled his thumbs and fidgeted his feet.

"Then so what? She says no, you drop it and move on. There's plenty of Magikarp in the ocean." Ash grumbled.

"I don't want anyone else, though." Brock sighed. He knew how Ash felt. Facing possible rejection was hard, especially for the first time. He was fairly confident that Misty liked Ash too, as she was always stealing glances at him and looking at him with admiration during matches, so Brock was confident. But Ash didn't see these things.

"Listen, she'll either say yes or no. Either way the world still turns, and you can still be friends! You don't hold it against someone if they don't want a just grin and bear it!" Ash was listening. Brock's words made sense, just like they always did.

"You're right." Ash said in his usual confident tone. He stood up from the log. "If she says 'yes,' then great! And If she says 'no,' then oh well! We'll still be friends!" Brock clapped with joy.

"That's right bro!" They shared a high-five and then laughed. "Where is ol' Red head anyways?" The tan boy inquired.

"The same place she always goes to. The closest lake for a bath." Ash replied. "Should I go find her?"

"Uhhh..." Brock thought for a moment. "You better wait. If you go look you'll probably find her, but she'll be like, naked. And then you both will get all embarrassed and start shouting and then start this whole _thing_. Best to wait 'til she gets back." Ash nodded.

"That's exactly what would happen. Damn. Alright." Ash thought for a moment. "I guess I'll go train with the Pokemon for a little. You got dinner set?" the younger boy asked.

"Always do." Brock assured.

After about an hour, everyone was back at the camp. Misty had arrived about twenty minutes prior, all dried and dressed. She looked calm and happy, as she usually did after a relaxing swim. Ash was in his tent with Pikachu.

"Okay Pikachu, last call is up to you...should I go for it?" Ash asked nervously, already knowing the answer.

"Pikapi! Pikapi!" Pikachu was ecstatic (no pun intended) and was excited to see what would happen. Ash sighed and stood up in a crouch, slowly crawling out of his tent. The first thing he saw was Misty sitting at the same log he sat at earlier. This time, the fire lit up the area as it had noticeabley darkened.

'The real flame is the girl next to it though...' Ash thought as he watched the light bounce off of Misty's fair skin. An angel, he thought, sent to him from Poke Heaven above. Few things seemed greater than a Championship trophy in Ash's eyes, and Misty was built up to be one of them. Not to say that Ash viewed her as a prize, or a trophy, but more as someone he could talk to about anything, including his feelings. He hadn't done it much, but he knew he could. He saw her as the epitome of everything perfect about a girl. She wasn't _too_ girly, though she did have her moments. She was tough, and never let him get away with being stupid. If it weren't for her, his stupidity probably would have landed him in Team Rocket's dungeon by now.

He stared too long. Misty was now looking at him with a look of confusion.

"Uhh, hi Ash." She said awkwardly. "What are you looking at?" Ash blushed and realized what he was doing. He gulped.

"You." Ash replied bluntly and soft. Misty cocked a brow. She felt a shiver run down her spine, though she didn't know why. Something about Ash's gaze, combined with that out of character Bedtime tone of his, stirred something in her that she didn't understand.

"M-me?" She stuttered, pointing at herself with a blush that ran down her whole body. "Why? Is something on my face?" Ash chuckled and stood up, fully out of the tent. He walked over towards the log and sat down next to Misty. The weird thing was there was plenty of room on it. Why had he chosen to sit _right_ next to her? This was all too weird, she thought. Ash had picked up a stick and poked the fire again, this time it had a boiling pot over it. Soup cooked by Brock no doubt.

"Where's Brock?" Ash asked quietly. Misty was still confused, but didn't move. She actually felt...cozy? Must be the fire. Misty lifted her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, clutching them to her chest like a little girl.

"He said he was going to the bathroom." She scrunched her face up, as if she had just eaten a lemon. "I wish he didn't tell me. I think he had to poop." Ash laughed. Misty looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Ewww," Ash said in a high pitched tone, "Brock pooping." The girl cracked a smile at this and the two joined in quiet laughter. The laughter soon died down and the two teens sat in awkward silence for a while.

Ash stared into the flames again. He saw the sparks and flickers inside and felt the same feeling in his chest at that moment. He gained the courage and resolve to pick his head up and look at Misty. To his surprise, she had been watching _him_. He blushed as he looked into her eyes. Those beautiful baby blue orbs that were deeper than any ocean he had ever Surfed over with his old Lapras. Her eyes were the first thing he noticed about her when they first met. Then he noticed the shocking red hair. And then he noticed when she slapped him.

"_Are __you __crazy__!? __Putting __your __poor __Pikachu __in __danger__! __Shame __on __you__!"_

She was always looking out for Pikachu. But... she had always been looking out for him as well. He realized that that's why she followed him. Maybe at first it was for the bike, but not too long after, she had forgotten about the bike and stuck around to keep an eye on him. Make sure he didn't kill himself and his Pokemon by jumping into a volcano or something. She was amazing.

"Jeez, Ash!" Her voice snapped him out of his trance. "Are you high? You keep drifting off and..and _staring_at me! It's creeping me out..." Her crimson cheeks would indicate that she actually was enjoying the attention, but she would never let him know that. Ash shook his head and looked at the ground..

"Nah, not that. I'm sorry Misty." He sighed once more and cleared his throat. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately." Misty was confused to a whole 'nother level at this point.

"Yeeeeaaaah?" She asked with suspicion. "That's unlike _you__._" The redhead joked. She was even more confused when Ash didn't fire back by calling her scrawny or anything. She took this as a sign that Ash had something genuinely heavy on his mind. "What is it?" She asked curiously, leaning down and trying to catch Ash's gaze again. "Hm? Ashyyyyyy. Earth to Ash!" She knocked lightly and playfully on his head. This caused Ash to smile. She could always make him smile when she wanted to. "Tell Uncle Misty what's wrong." The Water Gym Leader smiled at him. She liked when they didn't argue. Moments like this were nice. When they could just be _real_ with each other. No battles, no arguments, no monsters to capture and fight with for money. Just two people, who enjoyed each other's company for the most part. Ash chuckled softly.

"You're so funny, Misty..." Ash said finally. That wasn't what Misty was expecting.

"Okay Ash, what the heck is wrong with you!?" Misty clutched Ash by his sides and shook him. "Where is the real Ash? Are you a Team Rocket Grunt?!" Ash laughed and that caused Misty to start laughing, even though she was still confused. Ash was collecting himself, and trying to think of what to say.

"It's me, don't worry." He ended his sentence with his signature laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "I just. I don't know." He looked at her again, this time, _really_ noticing her. Her little nose that twitched from time to time. Her breathing patterns that seemed to be quickening. The way her long eyelashes sparkled from the fire's light. She really was gorgeous. She wasn't even wearing make-up. Perfection in human form. "You look...really beautiful." Misty's eyes went wide and her entire face blew up in an explosion of pink.

"What?!" Misty shrieked. "D-did you just _COMPLIMENT _me?! A _genuine _one? About my appearance?" Misty was visibly surprised, happily of course, holding her cheeks in her hands. Ash blushed and grinned that cocky grin of his.

"Hah, yeah I guess I did." He paused for a moment as he eyed her again. "Is...that okay?" His heart stopped beating as he waited for the answer.

"...I mean, yeah, sure, of course, why not? Hehehehe," Her fake chuckle was a sure sign of her nervousness. For some reason that made Ash more confident. "Why are you saying it though...?" Misty was still red and clutched her legs to her chest again, tighter this time, burying her face in her knees. "So unlike you..." Ash shrugged.

"I don't know. I feel...different lately. Like some outside force is controlling my thoughts, my words, my actions." He looked at Misty again, who was amazed at the words coming out of the usually dense and one-dimensional boy's mouth. Where was this coming from? "And my feelings." Misty nearly fainted. Was this a dream? This couldn't be real. "Misty, I..." Ash shut his eyes tight. He pounded on his knee, trying to pump himself up. Misty was confused again, to ultimate proportions. She leaned closer to the boy.

"...What?" She asked softly, and almost as if she were going to cry. She knew what was coming.

"I think you're awesome. I know we've had our fights, and we've disagreed more often the not. But..." Ash paused. Misty was shaking. What was happening? "I like you." He turned his whole body towards her. He put his hand on hers and her entire body felt like it would break like glass if she were hit. "I really, _really_ like you." Misty could only twitch her right eye, having no words. Well maybe one.

"Wh-what?" She said simply, not knowing what else to say.

"Exactly that! I like you. I think that you're a _cool __person_." He smiled, feeling a strength in himself that he hadn't before. It was almost like he was in a gym, getting ready for another battle. Except he wasn't fighting the Leader, he was asking her out. "The way you always let me know when I'm being stupid, how strong you are. I look up to you, I always have." Misty couldn't believe these words. These words she thought she'd never hear. These words she'd dreamed about. "Misty?" He asked quietly. It took her a moment to respond.

"Y-Yes...?" She was staring into his brown eyes now, the intense expression she knew so well turning her into mush. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Will you like, go out with me?" His confident expression now turned into a sheepish one. She thought that was cute.

"Like...be your girlfriend?" She asked. "Like, kissing and holding hands?"

"All that."

"But...we're friends. What if..." She stopped. She didn't want to think about losing her best friend.

"Misty, no matter what happens, I'll never stop being your friend. Ever." Misty smiled and blushed.

"Promise?" She asked happily, with a few tears in her eyes.

"Cross my heart." He nodded with assurance.

"Then..." She quickly looked around, seeing Pikachu watching from the tent. And...was that Brock watching from behind a tree?! Oh, who cares. "Yes! Of course, you idiot! Took you long enough!" She jumped on him, pulling him into a big hug. She rested her chin on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. He did it. He had to hold himself back from going:

_"__Alright__! __I __got__...__A __girlfriend__!" __And __flashing __the __peace __sign __at __the __camera__. __Along __with __Pikachu __jumping __up __saying__, "__Pika__pika__!"_

He obviously didn't do that though. Instead, he pulled away from the hug and looked into Misty's eyes again. They then shared their first kiss as the fire next to them died out.

There were lots of stars in the sky that night.

THE END.

Author's note: So? What did you guys think? Please review! Maybe if I get enough feedback I'll make a chapter 2?


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